


Hearts Still Beating

by rhys_winz



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Comfort/Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Falling In Love, Feelings, Good Dad Jack, Jack Has Issues, Jack being Jack, M/M, Plot, Slow Burn, Survival, Tags Are Hard, Zombie Apocalypse, angel is CUTE, jack has some secrets hmmm, jack's mood changes like every 3 seconds, mentions of suicide but no actual suicide, rhys actually knows how to work a gun wow!!!, watching angel grow up :')
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-09 11:47:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10411446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhys_winz/pseuds/rhys_winz
Summary: After the zombie apocalypse strikes the world, survivors seem to only care and have time for, well, surviving. There's not much love left in a world where you have to fight for your life every moment. However, two unlikely strangers meet at gunpoint, wary and disapproving, but as they grow together, they learn the ways of old-fashioned love again (while simultaneously shredding zombies together).AKA your stereotypical plotty zombie apocalypse romance.((A WIP, adding tags as I go.))





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! so a while ago i tried writing this same story but, uh, it was... quite embarrassing. i'm new to this writing thing, alright? anyway, thank you for even reading this. and pfft, no... i'm totally NOT inspired by the walking dead... idk what you're talking about...
> 
> i also like focusing on characters that aren't always jack and rhys, heads up, but primarily this is jack and rhys so. ya.
> 
> a kudos, bookmark, or comment is greatly appreciated ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The outbreak was kind of a scary experience for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just a chapter describing rhys' experience when the outbreak first happened. intros are boring, i know, but we'll get to the meat of the story soon. anyway, not gonna bore ya, you can read now lol. enjoy!! (*^▽^*)

A short, slouched, spectacled man taps his shoe on the glossy, reflective floors of the office building lobby, oozing impatience and irritation as he checks his watch every four seconds. He sighs, turning around to look at the other busying professional men and women talking on their bluetooths or working on laptops. 

"He's been late every day for a week. He better be paying today," a caramel skinned woman in tall, professional heels chuckles next to him. 

"He's not usually this late..." the smaller man murmurs and turns back again, eyes subconsciously glancing at a screen on one of the lobby walls. 

He watches lazily at the news cast going on. The pretty blonde news announcer in red seems to be unusually distressed, but the man just watches her lips move as she talks, no words necessarily processing through his brain, spacing out. He skims over the words scrolling below, gaining no new information whatsoever. He thinks he hears there's been a car accident of some sort, but...

"VAUGHN!"

The short man jumps, letting out a loud yelp as he pivots and pushes up his glasses, bushy eyebrows knitted and glaring at the new taller asset, whose smile is ear to ear. He lets out a breath, cheeks coloring slightly as he feels other business people's eyes on his back.

"You scared the living crap out of me," he sighs. "And you're late. Again."

"Oh my god, you should've seen your face!" the tall and slim brunette has trouble holding in his loud bursts of laughter, coming out in hisses and laugh-coughs. "Vaughn, Vaughn, I-"

"He's right, you jumped like a- jack rabbit," the woman tries to cover her boisterous giggles, looking at the taller man only to laugh even harder with him.

"Come on, Rhys, you already wasted too much of our too short lunch break. Yvette and I have been standing here for 10 minutes," Vaughn checks his watch again and begins to head for the spinning doors of the exit, smiling ever so slightly, his two partners trailing behind still stifling.

"I know, I know. Vasquez keeps holding me up everytime I try to leave my office to go on lunch break," Rhys’ face turns from playful to sour. "Ugh, I have a migraine just thinking about him. Drives me up the wall, bro."

"Tell me about it, bro," Vaughn grumbles. "Hey, did you hear the news about that accident on Main? Seems pretty bad."

"There's an accident?" Yvette raises a brow.

The trio stands on the pavement just outside their towering, sleek black skyscraper of an office building, gold accents along windows complementing the huge, glittering 'H' up high, making a statement to the entire city. Much like everything Hyperion. 

Rhys waves for a cab, curious about the accident as well. 

"Apparently. I mean, anywhere else, sure, but Main?" Vaughn shakes his head as the bright yellow cab pulls up in front of them, Rhys opening the door and holding it with a mumble and grin of 'ladies first'. 

Vaughn rolls his eyes but smiles, getting in and scooting over for Yvette, who's giggling from Rhys, telling the driver where to go almost on instinct and the driver nods as Rhys shuts the door after him, pulling into the road again.

They drive a few minutes in silence, Rhys playing a mindless game on his phone as Yvette tries to whisper him hints and gesturing his screen with a perfectly-manicured finger, only for Rhys to swat her away with a 'stop you're messing me up'.

"Why's Vasquez holding you up?" Vaughn pipes up and continues as if there was no interruption or break.

"Ugh, he's been loading a ton of work on me lately for god knows why. He wants my project done by this Friday. Is he serious?" Rhys scoffs, a bad taste in his mouth and poison running through his veins as a 'GAME OVER' slides across his phone screen.

"This Friday? Geez, I can't imagine working with him as my boss," Vaughn says sympathetically. 

"Ditto," Yvette agrees.

"And not only that! Whenever Henderson walks in, he turns into this huge suck up!"

"You suck up to Henderson-"

"Well, yeah, because he's my boss twice over! He's directly under Jack, I gotta respect him or I'm, y'know, dead."

"Actually-"

The taxi driver suddenly slams on the breaks, the three leaning forward and bracing themselves on the backs of the front seats.

"Wooah, woah. What the hell, man?" Rhys exclaims, staring at the driver who challenges Rhys with a frown.

Yvette sighs, "That was rude, Rhys-"

"Can't exactly control traffic, sir," the pudgy driver quips, gesturing to the honking ocean of cars and buses in front of him.

Rhys leans back with a defeated yet impatient sigh, taking out his phone again like an antisocial teenager.

"Um, how long do you think this'll take? Our lunch break is only so long-" Vaughn chuckles nervously.

"I can't tell ya. Apparently there's an accident up ahead or somethin'," the driver sounds impatient himself, but slightly apologetic.

Vaughn and Yvette exchange a look before the smaller man leans back with a breath like Rhys, staring out the window, unfocused.

Out of the corner of his eye, up ahead, he sees people getting out of their cars, taking hats and sunglasses off, seeming to creep forward curiously.

"Uh, guys," he pats Rhys' knee from across Yvette, "Look."

Rhys looks up from his phone, his pout still on his face, but it slowly fades. He watches as more and more people get out of their cars, slipping between other vehicles to get closer to... whatever they wanted to look at.

"Should we-"

A loud yell breaks through the crowd, followed by other muses of gasps and curses and screams.

"Hey, what's going on?" Rhys asks the taxi driver who adopts a look of curiosity and fear on his chubby face for the first time.

"I... I dunno," he mumbles, opening his own door to get up and out, leaning forward to try and see the commotion before he abandons them and follows the rest of the crowd, gone in the wide sea of automobiles.

Some cars honk furiously as others got out to see where the screams were coming from.

"What the hell, man!" one angry man yells from his silver car window, honking his horn repeatedly.

Out of the swarm of cars and people, only one came running from the opposite direction through the narrow spaces between the cars, covered in blood and sweat. People gasp and move out of the way, avoiding the staggering man and eyeing him. They watch with anticipation and, a sliver but it's there, fear.

"There's things," he breaths heavily, limping and bleeding, eyes stressed and bloodshot. Glass, supposedly from a car's windshield, pierces his face, his temple a river of crimson. 

Rhys holds his breath, jaw slack, almost not believing what he was seeing.

"They- they aren't human. Save yourselves. Hell has risen."

The man seems dreary, tired, hopeless, ready to give up.

He falls to the ground, too weak to stand, and people begin to fuss again, gasping and screaming and backing away from him, before there is a loud commotion not so far.

A faint gunshot.

"Rhys? What do we do?"

Rhys looks over at Vaughn, surprised to hear the waver in his voice. Behind his thick frames, his eyes are glossy with fear.

Rhys weighs his options. They're stuck in traffic, there's no way they can drive away. Should they get out and run? They can't stay here forever... Might be dangerous… Maybe they can find someone to help them...

Rhys is about to say something before suddenly, swarms of people rush back, yells and curses as they run past their taxi, kids crying and adults disheveled, scared.

"RHYS!" Yvette shrieks and points out his window.

A loud pang behind Rhys breaks him out of his trance as he turns, a shiver going down his spine and covers his mouth when he gasps, face pained.

It's... it was a human. But Rhys isn't so sure anymore.

Skin gray and peeling, hair thin, nails bitter and blood covering its skin and clothes. Its temple is bashed in, glass sticking out much like the one man's, the entire right side of its face coated thick with red. It looked like a young teenage girl, but... not.

Rhys backs away and onto Yvette, looking at the milky white of its irises. Growling and scratching at the window, it stares blankly and interestedly at Rhys.

"What are you doing?!" Rhys can't help his own waver in his voice. "Hey!"

"Rhys, I- I don't think she can hear you," Yvette grasps onto Rhys' arm firmly.

Rhys kept on staring at its lifeless, cold eyes. It kept pawing at the window, unresponsive to their words, eyes wide and blank. He's not sure if he sees a human or a monster.

Rhys doesn't know what to feel.

What do you feel when the dead rise and attack you when trapped in a car?

"Vaughn, I want you to open your door, quickly," Yvette whispers to the man behind her.

"But-"

"Vaughn!"

There's a click and a push, Vaughn jumping out and reaching out a hand for Yvette to take, pulling her out just as swiftly.

What's happening? What is this? What do we do? 

His mind ran a mile a minute, body frozen as he stares at the living corpse, a thin window being the only thing separating them. Everything seems frozen.

What does this mean? 

"...Rhys!"

Rhys kicks back to reality, scooting backwards until he's out of the car, grasping onto Vaughn, staring at the corpse on the other side.

"Where do we go?" Rhys looks desperately at Yvette and Vaughn.

"We-"

"Rhys, behind you!" Vaughn looks past Rhys' neck, terror written on his face.

Rhys turns, only to be pushed by the corpse onto the car next to them. Rhys holds it above him with his left arm, wincing and turning his face away from the warm, metallic-smelling mouth, biting and snapping.

He groans and pushes her off and onto the other car, bringing his right fist up, hesitating.

He swallows, breathes, and swings, the metal of his knuckles bashing with its eye.

Everything seemed to move too fast then.

It's stunned, but still snapping, and he punches again.

And again.

And again.

He's shaken at this point, numb and covered in blood that isn't his own, but another's. The corpse stops moving, face beat in and and unidentifiable. 

Vaughn turns away and into Yvette's arms, sick from the blood, Rhys breathing heavy and looking at his own cybernetic hand blankly, fresh pinkish blood smeared over shiny chrome.

"Rhys, we should go. I hear more of- of whatever these things are," Yvette rubs Vaughn's back, looking at Rhys pleadingly.

Rhys pauses a moment, grounding himself to reality. A ringing struck his ear, all noise muffled and far away. He looks around, understanding the situation he's in and connects it. Well, briefly. The glass, the blood...

_The car accident._

_People died._

_And then... came back to life._

He turns to Yvette, brown and blue eyes balanced yet frazzled.

"Yeah," his voice breaks.

So they run as far as their legs can take them, through the city, into an abandoned van, and out of the smoking and overrun hell, confused, numb, and, they didn't want to admit it, scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! a kudos, bookmark, or comment is greatly appreciated ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡  
> say hi on tumblr!! - bippingsauce.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio run meet some new friends.
> 
> Jack has an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! i know, new chapter literally only a day after i upload the first one lol, i just want to crank out these first few chapters as fast as i can. i really hate intros. (￣ ￣|||)  
> thank you for the support on the last chapter!! i have some plans and plots ready for this whole thing, just hoping my motivation stays up enough to write all of it. anyway, enjoy!! ♡( ◡‿◡ )

It's been a long while since that calamitous day. The world's changed into heaps of rubble and ruin, grime and blood, dull and colorless. 

A lot of people died in the bloodbath that was the beginning. Some were clueless and unprepared, but most couldn't bear to face the new world, so a bullet to the brain or a rope it was.

Coming out of the city made Rhys' heart feel empty. Then, he was innocent and naive, but watching the city go up in flames as broken glass reflected the licking flames and the dead roamed the once very alive metropolis, he recalled his first kill and the presence of many others, reality smacking him in the face.

Rhys kicks a rock on an abandoned highway road with the toe of his boot, the blistering sun beating down on his sunburnt face and neck, sweat sticking his t-shirt to his skin. He sighs, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and ruffling his curls (sweating does NOT do good things for his hair).

"You think we're getting close?" Rhys sighs, voice dry and crackled, desperate for water.

Yvette pulls out the paper map they snatched from a tourist stop a ways back while Rhys takes on a stranded lone corpse, a simple pinch of a knife to the head. He cringes at the watery squelch of blood as the growling stops, letting the dead (twice over) body drop to the ground. She looks briefly at the pink, blue, and yellow dots and territories before nodding, "Just one more mile."

He exhales. Rhys was an ambitious guy, he knew that. He shot for the moon and if he didn't make it, he shot for the stars. 

He had his whole life planned out at fourteen. He graduated high school with an honors diploma, went to college with a scholarship and full ride, graduated with a bachelor's degree and pursued his job in programming at the biggest technology and manufacturing company around: Hyperion. He planned to become the next Handsome Jack. He wanted his face on magazines, articles about his personal life, and journalists begging for interviews.

Damn the world for ruining that for him.

Rhys' legs feel like sore slush, flesh arm aching and sheen with perspiration. He’s careful to not touch his cybernetic one- sometimes the metal turned scorching on searing hot summer days like this. 

Scrapping his pursuit in becoming the world's next hottest CEO, he needed a plan that would be most beneficial to surviving. That's all he thought about, as there wasn't much left to care about anymore.

He's discussed about where to go with Vaughn and Yvette before. He thought about going east to the coast, maybe finding a boat and sailing away to better places. Maybe they could go north, where it was definitely colder, but it would slow zombies down and he knew there were a few bigger towns with more supplies maybe. South was warmer, so when winter came around it wouldn't be a big deal, but the heat now was enough. East was deeper in the country, but there were lots of fields and farmland. They could start up their own, living in seclusion peacefully. 

They decided to take it one step at a time...

"...Rhys, look!" 

Rhys shakes himself from his cloudy thoughts, looking ahead at where Vaughn was rushing excitedly and calling Rhys over. Rhys sees and lights up, catching up with his friend, Yvette rolling her eyes and chuckling watching her boys race like little kids. Rhys and Vaughn wrestle a bit, laughing like they were back in middle school again, playing in the front lawn as they ate popsicles and talked about an old dorky card game they loved.

Rhys feels an ache in his heart remembering his childhood, how oblivious and beatific it was.

The laughter turns into a thundering set of pounds echoing through a dingy gas station, covered in dust, dirt, and spiders. Almost all the paint has peeled off the walls and signs, worn and patchy. Miraculously, a bright red neon sign that says "PURE" flickers in the inky darkness, buzzing and reflecting off the checkered tiles on the floor.

By only the grace of god, none of the windows are smashed and the front doors are locked tight, not completely ruling out the possibility that the gas station has been looted already, to which a giddy Rhys does the honors of shattering a sooty window with the butt of his rifle.

The shards of glass glitter red from the luminous sign, the light of day touching the interior of the aged and grungy station for the first time in possibly a year. 

Rhys steps in first, the heel of his boot crushing large and minuscule chips of light-reflective crystal. Particles of dust float in the rays of sunlight, disappearing once they drift into the cold darkness where sunlight does not reach. 

Rhys holds his rifle up, sidestepping quietly and slowly as he clears through the aisles, breathing deeply. Vaughn flits with his revolver as he checks around and Yvette stands with a pistol ready in her palms. 

Vaughn jumps when he sees a corpse behind the cashier counter, weak and thin until ribs stuck out. It’s still, eyes closed, almost peaceful. It lie its head on the surface, dried blood and brain viscera pooling around the head and a pistol in its right hand, a clean bullet hole through the brain. 

"Must have been ages since anyone's found this place," Yvette stares at the dead body with casualness, maybe even a look of judgement before checking the pistol for ammo. "Poor guy looks like he's been out a long while. Find anything good?"

"There's a bit of stuff in here... Not a lot, but we can live," Rhys scavenges through shelves, fingers fluttering across bags of satisfying chips and crinkly wrappers of candy and crackers. "We're loaded for a few weeks on food, for sure... Damn... really wanted an iced tea, though..."

The safety of a pistol clicks behind his head.

"Put your weapons down, hands up."

Rhys stops.

He stands frozen for a minute, looking over at Yvette and Vaughn, who also have pistols against their occiputs, Vaughn hostage by a beautiful lady in a cowgirl hat and Yvette captive by a huge, burly man covered in scars and an unruly gray beard. 

Vaughn is the first one to drop his revolver, slowly bringing his hands up, face unusually blank. The two men connect eyes, Rhys sending a tiny nod.

Yvette fumes silently, refusing to drop her pistol and chest heaving, staring at Rhys who also keeps tight lock on his rifle.

"Hey, dum-dum. I said-"

Rhys whips around, knocking the stranger's arm and pistol away from his head with his rifle before quickly holding it up again and aiming at the attacker, who also pulls his gun up and aims at Rhys square in the face. From where he's standing, he can hear Yvette do the same thing and Vaughn pulling a fast one to pull his revolver up from the floor.

Rhys snarls, "What do you-"

He halts.

Rhys stands in the light as his attacker stands in the dark and ominous shadows, but he can just make out the face structure in the dull red flickering of the neon sign. He's seen that face from somewhere...

"What's wrong, kid? Cat got your tongue? I know I'm attractive, _jeeeez_ , but-"

_"You're Handsome Jack."_

The broad man pauses. He hasn't heard that name in... god knows how long...

"...In the flesh, baby."

"Jack," the woman’s stern and slightly scolding hiss calls from across the room. “Hurry up or I’m shooting all of them.”

Jack rolls his eyes at her tone, continuing and staring at Rhys coldly, aim still, "Damn, alright, here's the deal, cupcake. I've wanted this loot for a while, and I have other shit to worry about, right? So I wait a bit, doing what I gotta do first, and the day I come stroll by for a visit here, I got you three strangler loner ass-hats touching MY stuff."

"It's not _your_ stuff, you know," Rhys retaliates. 

_He just talked back._

_To the previous Handsome Jack._

_The previous millionaire- no, scratch that, billionaire- known for his smart decisions but ruthless, harsh consequences. Oh god..._

Jack chuckles, "I called dibs."

_...What?_

"Wh- dibs?" 

Jack mocks him, "'Wh- dibs?' Need I explain to you what dibs is…? Alright, so, say two people want something, let's say, uh... this gas station for food and possibly other supplies like fuel and water, as an example. But-" 

"I get it, I'm not a moron," Rhys cuts him off, feeling a mixture of awe and aggravation.

"Ah, good! Wondered how you made it this far for a second there, princess," Jack raises a brow and smirks at the way Rhys' pout downturns even more.

"We're not giving you our stuff."

The break in light conversation ends with Yvette's sudden, unrelenting voice.

Jack flicks his eyes from the tall bean pole to the pretty girl of the group. He watches in awe for a moment, an open smirk of joking disbelief on his face as he walks over to her.

"Wil, drop your gun for a sec'," he nods to the silent man in front of Yvette and replaces his spot as he moves away, getting up close in her face, sneering. "What was that, sweetheart?"

If there's any fear in her, she's good at hiding it.

She restates dourly, "We are not giving you _our_ stuff. We found it first."

Jack cackles and growls, "Oh, oh that's rich. Are we fourth graders? What, finder’s keepers or something? Sweetheart, do you know who I am?"

"You're just a man. You _were_ Handsome Jack. You _were_ king of the corporate realm, but we're all just struggling to survive now," Yvette spits, voice raising. "You don't hold any power or authority anymore. You're human just like everyone else and you aren't entitled to anything first, including gas stations."

Jack stares at her.

"Woooowie! We got a little biter over here, don't we," Jack grins, leaning back, watching her. "Just like you, Nisha. Don't you think?"

"Oh, I think so, Jackie," Nisha smiles slyly at Jack knowingly, lips stretching over pearly canines. "I like her."

"Me too... Not sure about shortstack and bean pole over there though-"

"My name is Rhys-"

"Did I ask, kiddo?" 

Rhys glares at the broad man grimly, getting a good look of him now that he’s standing in the sunlight.

His skin is rough and sun-kissed, body big, thick, and lean. His bangs fall in his face without any body or structure, moist from sweat. His body is all angles and cuts, jawline and nose sharp and shoulders wide, but somehow he looked... less powerful than the previous Handsome Jack he once was. His old several layers of clothes and jackets once seen on papers and boards everywhere have been replaced with an eye-watering yellow, threadbare sweater branded with the old Hyperion logo, along with jeans and boots.

Rhys could never imagine this man being the same man as Handsome Jack.

The only thing that Rhys expected is the intimidating combination of bright green and blue eyes, soul searching.

The only thing that Rhys would never expect is the huge upside down V of soft pink and red scar tissue on his face.

Rhys swallows and says nothing.

"Let's have a little chat, kiddos," Jack continues. "Pretty girl over here is correct, I am just human, but I ain't gonna let y'all prance away from this. Let's say we get to know each other first before starting anything. Beanpole- er, Rhys- who's the leader of this joint?"

Rhys gazes at the slightly shorter but stronger man, trying to keep up with his mood shifts. 

"Um... I say it's kind of a group effort..."

"Bullshit. Pretty girl, um-"

"Yvette," she scowls.

"Yvette, what a name," Jack grins, "who's the leader of this little shindig?"

"...Rhys."

Rhys gawks, "Wh-"

"Seriously? This string bean over here?" Jack guffaws and strolls over to Rhys and pats his back hard, knocking Rhys off balance. Only then did Rhys' mind notice how warm and big and rough and strong his hands were...

"He's an amazing leader," Vaughn speaks up, Jack's eyes widening at the new addition to the conversation. He continues to ramble to the point of bluffing. "I'm- I'm Vaughn by the way... He- Rhys is ambitious. He makes plans and goes for them, letting nothing stop him. He made a plan to get out of here actually-"

"Wow, pipsqueak! Didn't think you'd wanna contribute to this talk," Jack snickers, his hand _still on Rhys' back._ "You say Rhysie's got plans, does he? To get out of here? Go ahead, shoot, cupcake."

"Uh..." Rhys chokes up as Jack watches him with eager anticipation, like a puppy waiting for its owner to throw the ball already, knowing and waiting to be entertained. What was Vaughn doing?!

"Come on, tell me, kiddo. I wanna hear this."

"...I- no."

Jack's eyebrows furrow.

"Why not? You don't wanna tell me, kid? You even got a 'plan?'" Jack laughs and crowds in unbelievably closer to the point Rhys can feel his warm breath on his face, noses almost touching. Jack growls, teeth grinding. "Or are you afraid of me?"

"I-"

"Alright, y'know what, I'm done. Nish', Wilhelm, take 'em with us. Take their weapons," Jack's mood flips a one-eighty, turning entirely sour, pupils dilating with a sudden flare of malevolence. He takes the butt of his pistol and hits the side of Rhys' temple, letting him fall unconscious, ignoring Vaughn's gasp and plead, Yvette's eyes wide with shock. Wilhelm grunts, the only noise he made that entire conversation, as Nisha grins. "I got pretty boy, you don't need to knock out the other two, but watch them. I can make use of this one."

Jack picks up an unconscious Rhys like a feather, deciding to just carry him bridal style. He stares at his face a moment, looking at the bruise already blooming on the temple opposite of... an echo neural port...

Jack grows intensely curious and grins, a light bulb going off in his head.

"And take the friggin' loot in here, for god's sake."

The flickering neon sign finally buzzes out, leaving them in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! a kudos, bookmark, or comment is greatly appreciated ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡  
> say hi on tumblr!! - bippingsauce.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys makes a new friend.
> 
> Rhys and Jack try to figure each other out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a longer chapter, not sure how i feel abt it, rhys and jack feel kiiinda ooc but whatever (i forgot the zombie apocalypse was even happening in this chap) ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ they're just trying to get used to each other  
> we'll get to the plot and romance soon, i feel like i'm kinda rushing these beginning chapters but i'm just so eager to start the actual story (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ  
> anyway, enjoy chapter 3 yay

_Rhys sat on the dock, feet dangling into the sea, staring up at the stars glittering like spilled diamonds. The sea salt wafted into his nose, giving him a sense of peace as the high waves crashed onto the shores, a repetitive, calming crashing sound against sand and stones._

_He liked to go out there on summer nights. In the day, he burned and there were too many people, but this was just nice._

_He had a pack of oreos next to him, his own personal stash he only ate from when he went out there. He mindlessly took one out at a time, chewing slowly and swallowing._

_He's in the middle of tracing out the Scorpio constellation when he heard footsteps coming toward him from the house, dewy grass swishing before the aged, water-worn boards creaked under each step._

_"Hey," he doesn't even need to turn his head to know who it was._

_"Hey," Sasha whispered and sat down next to him, dangling her feet off the edge, too. She snatched an oreo, chewing silently. "Can't sleep?"_

_He sighed, "Yeah... something like that..."_

_"Bad dream?"_

_He took another bite of an oreo and glanced a bit to the left as he traced Sagittarius with his eyes, listening to the crashing of waves. Fiona's zodiac._

_"...Yeah."_

_His step-sister glanced at him, moonlight reflecting off her sympathetic sea green eyes, the sparkles in her pupils comforting._

_"You wanna talk about it?"_

_He paused, wondering to himself if talking about it would make himself feel better like everyone said._

_"...Had a bad dream about losing you. You and Fi'," he closed his eyes._

_He never had anyone to really care about before he met his two step-sisters the day his mom brought their dad and them to his small, cramped home. He was only ten at the time, Sasha being nine and Fiona just turned twelve. He was wary at first, but the second Sasha said he liked his badly drawn business cards and Fiona called him stupid for his blue beta-fish stupidly named Water, he decided he could live with them._

_Soon enough he was done drawing only two stick figures for the fridge of just his mom and him, but using every color of crayon for his entire family of five. That was seven years ago._

_"We're right here, Rhys," Sasha comforted. "You, me, Fiona, mom- er, Annie, dad... your friend Vaughn, too. We're a family."_

_They sat and connected stars for a bit, Sasha pointing out Virgo just because it was her own zodiac sign. Rhys laughed and took another oreo, savoring the taste._

_It was nice to have people to care about._

_It was nice to know people care about him, too._

Rhys wakes up with a piercing throb in his right temple.

He groans, bringing up his cybernetic arm to brush against the developing bruise, only to hiss and pull his hand away the second it touches the weak, maroon and dark skin.

He sits up, every muscle in his body screaming in reluctance, blinking his eyes a bit to focus.

He's sitting in a room with one window, seeping in the blazing scarlet orange rays of sunset. The room is old, but warm and cozy, the walls a pasty and peeling off-white, the floor planks timeworn and rough, and even the furniture looks antique. There's only a metal framed bed and a wooden dresser with some used vanilla candles, a rusty gas lamp, and a golden ticking clock, but they're definitely covered in a layer of dust.

Where on earth is he..?

"Hello."

Rhys yelps embarrassingly girly and nearly jumps out of his skin at the sudden noise, looking around frantically for his eyes to land on a small girl sitting on his bed, sitting cross-cross apple-sauce.

"You were asleep for a long time. I was scared you'd turn into one of _them._ "

Rhys looks blankly at her, still sitting on the floor.

"Um... hey there... can you tell me... where I am, exactly? Have you seen my friends?" Rhys' concern grows and his heartbeat quickens at the thought of Vaughn and Yvette being alone, or worse, dead.

"Well, my dad says we live in a place called Opportunity," she states proudly. "Right now we're in my house. This isn't my room though. This is kinda gross..."

She wipes a small finger across the dresser next to the bed, making an 'ick' noise at the coat of dust sticking on her finger.

Her jet black braided hair compliments her huge baby blue irises, freckles dusting over her button nose. She's small and skinny, and Rhys would guess she's around eight or nine. Rhys wonders how one would even raise a child in the new world...

"Opportunity... okay... and- and my friends? Do you know where they are?" 

"Um... I don't think so... I'd ask my dad, but I'm not even supposed to be talking to you right now," she admits, face turning pink.

"Your dad..?"

"He brought you here when he came back. I saw your head was all hurt, and he told me to go to my room and I wasn't allowed to come in here, but he left for a second and your door was open, so I came in to make sure you were okay. I even brought you a cookie I stole from the kitchen."

She reaches in her pocket to pull out a slightly squashed oreo, holding it in her small palm and reaching out to Rhys.

"Do you want it?"

He stares at the girl and then the oreo.

"Your dad is... Jack?"

She nods, reaching out further to give him the oreo.

"If you don't want it, I'll eat it," she continues, ignoring the persistent questions about her dad.

_Handsome Jack had a daughter..?_

_A daughter this sweet..?_

He hesitates before taking the oreo, warm hands touching, the little girl smiling cheerfully.

"I would've gotten more cookies, but my dad says we have to.. uh... 'rationalize' our food... whatever that means..." she tries sounding out the words, repeating what she remembers.

Rhys takes a bite of the oreo, happy childhood memories flooding through his veins before his face drops.

_He misses Sasha and Fiona._

"Let's talk about something other than Jack- er, your dad. Let's talk about you. Um, what's your name?"

The little girl seems ecstatic at the question. She's not used to meeting new people, but she thinks she might be making her first real friend.

"My name's Angel! What's your name?"

"I'm Rhys. Very nice to meet you, Angel," Rhys melts at how cute she is, shaking his hand ridiculously hard when he holds it out.

"Why is your arm made of metal? Has it always been like that?" she watches as Rhys retreats his arm, admiring how smooth the joints move. Even his fingers move with such thimble flows. Her ridiculously big blue eyes glitter as the chrome exterior glimmers in the tangerine sunset light.

Rhys chuckles, "No, not exactly-"

The door unexpectedly swings open, Jack standing in the doorway.

"Hey, pumpkin. Talking to yourself already?" Jack snickers until his eyes flutter to his own daughter on the bed. "Angel?! What did I tell you about coming in here?"

"Um... I'm not allowed to?" she shrinks, shrugging as her face reddens. 

Rhys stands up finally, legs sore, but he ignores it with a wince.

"Baby, go wash up for dinner. I _was_ gonna invite Rhys so you could meet him, but seems like I'm too late for that..." 

"No, invite him! Please, please, please? He's really nice," Angel jumps up rushing over to her dad, pleading with glimmering eyes. "Please?"

Jack lets out a lovely sigh, "Of course, sweetheart. Now, go wash up. I'm gonna talk to Rhys for a bit," Angel grins before running out of the room and down the hall, giggling.

Jack shuts the door, face sad but blithe. Rhys backs away, unsure what Jack will do next, concerned he has nothing to defend himself with.

"You... have a daughter?" Rhys asks before Jack can say anything.

"Yup," Jack sighs, popping the 'p'. "She's quite somethin', isn't she? She, uh, doesn't meet new people real often..."

"She's, well... she's an angel," Rhys chuckles nervously. "Dunno how she's related to you..."

"Ay, watch it, kid, you aren't exactly off the hook here yet. You probably woke up and are wondering where you are, why you're here, where are your friends, yadda yadda," Jack waves his hands and leans against the wall. "First, I don't know if Angel told you, but welcome to Opportunity, our own little community."

"A- a community?"

"You know it. It's not much, but we're walled, we grow our own food and have water storage, fuel, guns, you name it. It's the only living community around here, ran by, yes, yours truly," Jack preens proudly and cockily, putting a hand over his chest. 

"Food? Water? Guns?"

"Keep up the pace, pumpkin, yes," Jack's eyes narrow. "As for _why_ you're here, well, I'm gonna be honest- those cybernetics of yours are _useful as fuck._ "

Rhys shakes his head, "Um, not really... I haven't used my echo eye or palm interface in, god, a year? They still work, but there's no internet anymore. There's nothing to use it for."

"See, that," Jack points, "is where you're wrong. You're right about the internet thing, but you're forgetting I made the blueprints of that arm and echo eye myself. I still know how they work like the back of my hand, secrets and hacks and all."

"So... your point is?"

"If we can find a way to get online somehow, we can possibly communicate to others around the world. We can find a cure against those bastards, we can innovate again, I dunno, _something._ Manufacturing, medicine, don't you see?"

Rhys nods slowly. He's right... in a way. It's a bit too hopeful, trying to use old technology to connect in a time like this, but if they pull through, they might be able to find something... So does that mean...

"You're keeping me around?"

"What?"

"Your plans, uh, about my cybernetics... You just want to use me, keep me here for that?"

Jack ponders a moment, "Cupcake, I'm not holding you here against your will. Trust me, throwing you out would do good for our food rations, but with those pretty little gears of yours, I'll spoil you with all the food you want for those babies. In here, you can get everything you desire rather than sitting on the highway like roadkill. Tell me, sweetheart, what seems like the more obvious choice?"

Rhys frowns. He hates how right Jack is.

"...Fine, but Vaughn and Yvette stay here with me."

Wait...

"Wait, where's Vaughn and Yvette?" Rhys' heart sinks again, worried about where they could be, what was happening to them.

"I gave them a house."

There's a pause.

"Y- Wh- A house?"

"Yeah. People gotta live somewhere, right? It's not the best house around, but enough for the both of them," Jack speaks casually.

"...You gave them a house?"

Jack groans and rubs his eyes.

"Ah, yes. What is so difficult to understand about that?"

"Okay, did you forget that _you_ jumped _us_ , aiming guns in our faces, demanding we give you our stuff, and then you knocked me out and took us back here. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't expect the guy who pulled all that shit on us to give us a house."

"Fair point, Rhysie, but after seeing those cybernetics of yours... I'm offering a lot right now. You work with me to try and get your cybernetics back online and in exchange I give you- and your buddies- food, water, shelter, whatever."

Rhys crosses his arms. They narrow their eyes at each other, high unpredictable tension between the two.

He doesn't know if he can trust the man, but considering how they were living outside Opportunity, he can't pass up an, heh, opportunity like this. Life is all about taking risks, right?

"Deal."

"My man, that's what I'm talking about!" Jack grins, fist pumping and patting Rhys on the shoulder roughly, knocking Rhys off balance again.

"Now, pretty boy, we've been chatting too long, and I'm effin' starving. Per Angel's request, you're cordially invited to eat with us."

Rhys hesitates, looking at the eager man as he raises his eyebrows and nods slowly with a smirk, Rhys exhaling before walking out the door, yelping when Jack slaps his ass behind him.

"Quit that," Rhys mutters.

"Quit what, cupcake?"

Jack chuckles, beautiful smile off for show as Rhys blushes and huffs.

-

It turns out Jack lived in the main small, central courthouse of the once cozy, homey little town. Even in the zombie apocalypse, he manages to find the biggest and best just for himself, establishing a position of power.

The courthouse is very old but insanely massive, three floors of just rooms and rooms, plus an ancient bell at the top with a platform that sees around for a hundred miles, which was great for looking out for herds or loners coming. 

Rhys hasn't been outside the courthouse yet, but the courthouse itself is so beautiful, Rhys forgot for a second he was surrounded by hostile dead people.

The dining room has a ridiculous amount of open space, the tall ceiling dripping an ornate chandelier that glimmered in the lights of flickering wall-lit lamps and candles. 

Angel sits in her chair, the one right next to the head of the very long wooden table, kicking her legs back and forth patiently.

"There you are! I thought you guys would never come!" Angel perks up at the sight of the two men coming in, Rhys admiring every single wooden panel and rusted light.

"Sorry, babycakes, we took a bit too long," Jack leans over to kiss Angel on the cheek. Angel giggles and sputters, pushing him away.

"Daddy, I'm getting too old for kisses!" she smirks, Jack rolling his eyes.

"You're never too old for kisses," Jack pecks one more, Angel squealing, before rushing off to the kitchen to get food.

It was strange to see him in such a... domestic way after Rhys has known him for years as the big, terrifying boss man.

“Are you gonna be staying with us?" Angel beams hopefully.

Rhys sits down in the seat opposite of her, chair creaking with age.

"Yup. Your dad and I are working on some... plans. I'm gonna help him out and stay here a bit and... we'll just see where it goes from there."

“What kind of plans?”

“Stuff to do with my cybernetics. We’re gonna try and get them online again, see if we can find anything like other people around the world or maybe a cure.”

Angel gasps, “Can I help?”

Rhys looks at her, smile wide and eyes eyes glossed with determination and eagerness. He didn’t want to let her down.

“Of course, Angel.”

Jack walks in at that moment with a bowl of mashed potatoes and a plate of slices of ham, along with a bowl of greens he was balancing between the potatoes and meat. 

"Not used to having guests eating dinner with us," Jack chuckles, setting down all the plates, Rhys' mouth absolutely watering at something that isn't chips or a granola bar. It smells _luxurious_.

"You mean it's just you two every night here?" Rhys immediately digs in, picking up ham and taking scoops of whipped potatoes, thinking about just the two of them every night at the ridiculously large table. It seems lonely.

"Uh, yea. Angel’s pretty excited to have a new friend around," Jack looks over at his daughter, the slightest sad smile on his face.

"Daddy doesn't let me go outside very much to meet people. He says it’s dangerous, but I know what's out there," Angel says as Jack cuts up her ham into tiny bits for her.

"She's gonna have to learn to defend herself soon, y'know," Rhys looks over at him, Jack tossing him a look of 'don't tell me how to parent'.

The rest of dinner was fairly awkward and filled with small talk, Angel yawning and Jack literally carrying her up the stairs to tuck her in for bed.

Rhys sat on one of the soft couches in the living room, which was originally the lobby of the courthouse, coaxing a glass of sparkling white wine.

Jack comes down the creaking stairs, coming over to sit down on the couch next to Rhys with a groan. He was getting too old for this…

“She's out like a light, just like always,” Jack sighs while pouring a glass of wine for himself. “Hey, y’know, believe it or not, I think I remember you from our Hyperion days.”

“You- what?” Rhys takes a sip of wine, treasuring the dancing bubbly taste on the tip of his tongue.

“Not many people got a damn cybernetic arm back in the day,” Jack chuckles. “I remember your file. You got guts to go through that, _and_ an echo eye? You got balls of steel, pumpkin.”

Rhys snickers, secretly preening under the praise of the man he once admired like a god, “Ah, thanks I guess? My sisters called me absolutely insane when I told them about it. They wondered why on earth I was doing it voluntarily. They had to leave the room when I told them I just wanted to get ahead in data mining.”

Jack throws his head back with a hearty laugh, the butterflies in Rhys’ stomach fluttering at the sound. “Kitten on the outside, tiger on the inside, I like that. You say you got sisters?”

“Well, step-sisters,” Rhys’ eyes drop. “Sasha and Fiona. I haven’t seen them since… yeah.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Jack says with a low voice. “We all lost some special people.”

“Yeah.”

There’s a quiet silence, Jack taking a long sip of his wine before putting it down.

“I, uh, think I'm gonna hit the hay,” Jack gets up with a sigh, his knees popping. The conversation was breaching into real emotional personal territory and Jack was _not_ about to go there with a man he had met just that morning. Or ever. He was just keeping him for his cyberware. He was letting down his shields to a man he wasn’t even sure he could trust. It was... unnerving territory for him. "Tomorrow I'll show you around town. We'll visit your friends, we'll get shifts and jobs, settle everyone in."

Rhys smirks, "And you say you just keep me here to use me for my cybernetics. Didn't know you're making me do slave labor, too."

Jack's mouth upturns a little bit, snorting through his nose.

"Can't afford a waste of space, babe."

Rhys’ heart flips, shaking it off with a small laugh. He stands up, finishing the last of his wine, opening his mouth to say goodnight before thinking of something quickly.

"Um, one more thing, where's the shower? I feel, just, disgusting, y’know...? And do you have some spare clothes I can use for, uh, pajamas?" Rhys' face blushes, hating to have to ask such an awkward question.

Jack chuckles at the cute dust of pink wiping across the brunette's cheeks, head gesturing to follow him up the stairs, leading him into the master bedroom before throwing a pair of sweatpants, a shirt, some underwear and socks at him.

"They're the smallest things I have, sorry if they're a bit baggy," Jack shrugs before running a hand through his hair. “Bathroom’s down the hall to your right… and pumpkin?”

“Hm?”

Jack watches him wait for a response, but Jack completely forgets what he was going to say, curious about the man in front of him. There was something about him, the way Angel connected with him so quickly and the way he carried himself and chose the choices he chose, before and after the outbreak. Jack frowned, unsure what to think of the man he only knew for a few hours that was sleeping in the room next to him, next to his _daughter_. Rhys seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn’t want to murder a little girl in her sleep, but he knew not to judge a book by its cover, especially nowadays, and decided he would sleep with a gun that night. Something about Rhys was different, though, he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Life has such mysterious ways.

“Just don’t slip and bust your arm, alright?”

Rhys and Jack share a light laugh before exchanging goodnights, Rhys going to take the most _glorious_ shower of his life. He walked past Jack’s closed door while drying his hair on the way back to his room, curious and uncertain, before settling in bed (which was lumpy, but after sleeping in ditches for months, it was like sleeping on a cloud) and tracing constellations in the sky through his window, falling asleep and dreaming of oreos.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Rhys go to talk to Vaughn and Yvette.
> 
> Then they get drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no zombies this chapter, sorry (∩︵∩) next chapter, tho, promise. we're finally branching from the intro to rising action !! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ  
> this isn't my fav chapter, but i'm tired so whatever. enjoy !! <3

Opportunity seems to be quite a nice place, Rhys decides.

Jack walks him out the courthouse late that afternoon, Jack strangely chipper as he leads Rhys through the streets. 

The way Opportunity is set up was it’s generally a huge box, closed off with huge walls made of pillars of tree wood (Jack informed him that outside the town, a huge woodland area is pretty much all around them). Working your way from the center, Jack's brick and white-accented courthouse is surrounded by a luscious lawn full of colorful flowers and elegant street lamps. Around the courthouse is the main block, once lined with an ancient movie theatre, coffee shops, antique stores, and old-fashioned bars, which no longer hold any real importance besides the antique store's use of holding supplies like guns and ammo, the coffee shop as food and water storage, and the bar as... well, a bar. People more often try to drink to forget a lot nowadays. Outside the main block, it widdles off into smaller streets full of many small, close together, fallen apart, and moss-covered cottages built well in the mid-1900s.

As Rhys walks with him through the streets, he notices something. Back then, as Jack strutted through halls and offices of Hyperion with a mask on his face, hair perfectly coiffed, each footstep establishing an aura of power, people shuddered and stuttered around him. Now, as he walks the dirtied streets in regular jeans and a sweater with a natural scar on his face, people still seem to respect him, but more... casually. They straighten their backs as the man walks by, but they say quick 'good morning, sir's or salutes to him as he comes past, no stutters or shudders. Some even actually stop him, chatting merrily with him a bit before getting back to their regular day, busying around town. It seems… just normal.

_What is going on here..?_

While guiding him through the less crowded neighborhood streets, the sound of leaves swaying cheerily with the pure songs of birds over their heads, Jack explains to Rhys the general main shifts they have and how the place works, all to which Rhys is hardly listening to. He’s too busy thinking about how the man to his left was once the soul sucking, blood curdling CEO of the biggest technology cooperation in the world, and now he runs a small, friendly little community in a destroyed, cold, and bloody post-apocalyptic universe. 

His eyes trail to the scar that runs down his face as he talks. He wonders what could possibly made a scar like that, slashing over his left emerald eye. His once revealed and perfectly-masked face is now fresh and flawed, but to Rhys he still seemed just as handsome...

"...It's rude to stare at people, pumpkin," Jack chuckles, smile quirked.

Rhys blushes and looks away from Jack’s playful gaze, "Yeah, s-sorry."

"I don't mind, princess. I know I'm hot as hell, but-"

"How'd you get here?"

Jack's face twists to confused, yet intrigued, "What do you mean?"

"Like... you used to be the biggest guy in the corporate world. Now you're running a community in the middle of a living, terrifying hell and people are so... normal."

Jack chuckles again, music to Rhys' ears, but he pushes that thought down. 

"I know what you mean, kid. People need someone to look up to, now more than ever. They don't treat me like some used to, but people are desperate, man. People are scared, they need someone to protect them. They need someone to protect them from... other people. They're afraid of bloodshed and danger, they need someone who isn't. They're afraid of a world where the dead eat the living, they need someone to let them live in safety," Jack squints under the blazing sun. "I'm that someone, in this case. The hero."

"...Other people?" Rhys looks at him with warm brown and blue eyes, noticing his wording.

"...It's not the dead that are dangerous, pumpkin. It's the living," Jack's eyebrows furrow. "Bandits. Absolute fuckin' lunatics. Child-killing psychopaths. They live out in the woods, just watching us. All they want is blood, specifically my community's blood."

"What? Why?"

"...Never had a good history with their leader.... she's a radical bitch... comes in and out unexpectedly, killing my people, trying to kill me, tearing down my community. They don't even come after our supplies, just my _people._ Just a pain in the ass to know they'll keep coming back and doing the same thing. None of them are worth keeping alive. I swear, I'll scoop all their eyes out with a single spoon..."

The birds have stopped singing as the leaves still sway happily, Rhys ignoring the chill down his spine. He decides not to expand on the topic, noticing Jack's grinding sneer and pupils stone with rage. He doesn't have enough information to form much of an opinion, but he understands a bit where Jack is coming from. Just a bit. 

Not really. 

Not at all.

He's curious about these bandit people, though. They only come after Jack's people, but not his supplies... There's clearly some story behind that, but... Rhys isn't about to ask about it.

"...Rhys? Is that you?"

His head turns to a tiny, faded pale yellow shuttered house, a short man with long hair pulled into a bun on the wooden porch, leaning over the railing.

"Vaughn..?"

Rhys breaks from Jack's side to sprint up to the house, Vaughn meeting him halfway to explode in his arms, Rhys lifting him off the ground and hugging him tightly, the pressure of tears daring to break the dam behind his eyes.

"I was so worried about you, bro!"

"Yeah, you too, bro... You're crushing me..." Vaughn wheezes, inhaling when Rhys puts him down, grasping his hands on Rhys' thin upper arms.

"Jack, uh, did he explain everything to you?" Vaughn whispers hurriedly and glances behind the taller man to watch Jack coming towards them. "I don't know if we can trust-"

"Hey, shortstack! How ya enjoying the new house?" Jack's earlier indignation completely vanished into thin air, replaced by his regular joking, intimidating, and invasive attitude. "One of my favorites, you know, the flashy yellow."

"H-hey, Jack! It's, uh, it's nice. Better than living in the woods or in the middle of nowhere," Vaughn laughs nervously and unsurely, looking up at the towering man standing akimbo and grinning, eyes alight with energy. "But thank you, really."

"No problemo, kiddo. Where's the other girl?" Jack leans back to peer at the lemon house.

"Yvette's inside still- she'll be so excited to see you, bro! Come on," Vaughn tugs at Rhys, but Jack tuts.

"Ah, one second, shortstack, lemme talk to Rhys real quick and we'll be right in," Jack steps next to the lanky man, ignoring their faces of surprise.

"Um... alright, I'll just, uh, tell Yvette you guys are out here," Vaughn smiles timidly, pivoting to go back into the house, screen door slamming behind him.

"What is it?" Rhys huffs and turns to Jack.

"You two a thing?"

Rhys blinks, staring at the chestnut and gray haired man, warm sun blanketing his exposed arms and fresh earthy air twirling the curls of his auburn hair.

"What?"

"You heard me. You and, uh, Vincent together? Romantically, friends with benefits, y'know, anything? Wouldn't be shocked about the friends with benefits thing, people are desperate for any kind of action now-"

Rhys blushes, "Um... no... We're, uh, just friends. No 'benefits.' He's been my best friend since we were in... third grade."

"Wow, you’ve been together for… a pretty long time. So... you two aren't a thing? At all? Ever?"

"No, why?"

"Just wondering," Jack starts walking toward the house, "y'all seem really close is all..."

Rhys stands in the front lawn watching as Jack leaps up the lopsided porch stairs, letting the screen door smack behind him as he strolls in like he owns the place.

He takes a moment to process Jack's words. Why on earth would he ask something like that? Rhys assumes it wasn't out of Jack's character to just blurt out whatever was on his mind, but... there was some kind of emotion in his voice when he asked. Sadness? Jealousy?

...Nah.

Rhys shakes it off and checks out the house as he makes his way inside. There's a huge, ancient tree in front of the quite tiny home, branches swaying under the bright sunlight. Dandelions scatter around the trunk, summer's favorite little weeds, glowing amongst the fluffy, fresh grass. His flesh hand brushes the railing of the porch as he walks up the squeaky steps, white painted wood rough and sharp. Dusty porch furniture sit lonely, but cozy and inviting.

He walks in, pesky screen door slapping behind him, to see a sight he never thought he'd ever see.

Yvette and Vaughn sit together on the old-fashioned turquoise couch, Jack across them on the matching love-seat, Vaughn nervously talking about the house and new living conditions with him. Yvette lights up as Rhys walks in, launching off the couch and around the coffee table.

"Oh my god, Rhys, you gave me the fright of my life last night… we were so worried," Yvette laughs heartily as Rhys hugs her petite body.

"Don't worry, I won't do it again," Rhys smiles and wraps his arms around her waist, careful with the metal one. "Jack let me stay in his courthouse last night. It's... pretty nice there."

"Pretty nice is damn right, sweetcheeks. Even had a feast for his first real dinner last night," Jack's boisterous voice comes from behind them.

"Oh my god, last night I made buttered noodles, like actually in a pot of boiling water. I never thought I'd feel like a queen eating buttered noodles and nothing else, but here we are," Yvette chats bubbly, returning to her spot on the couch next to Vaughn as Rhys hesitates sitting next to Jack on the loveseat, subconsciously holding one of the decorative floral pillows in his lap to do something with his hands.

"Unfortunately, it won't be like that every night, hate to break it to ya," Jack scoots closer to Rhys, Rhys' heart escalating to an alarming point when he realizes he can feel Jack’s natural, human body warmth. "I just got us some special food from the pantry to welcome you guys to Opportunity. With three newcomers, rations all around will have to minimize a bit, but overall, the shit you'll get here on a weeknight is ten times better than having scavenged chips for dinner, right?"

Jack snickers with the others before continuing. 

"Speaking of, I came here to talk to y'all about some shifts. You guys would switch around, but our three main ones are guarding, running, and checking. I want you all to be part of my running team, coming with us or some others when we leave to look for supplies around."

"Others?" Vaughn pipes up, settling into conversation uneasily.

"Some of the other runners in Opportunity, ah... I'll introduce them to you later," Jack waves his hands, fingers barely gracing Rhys' nose before his arm settles on the back of the loveseat behind Rhys' head, Rhys' stomach fluttering again. "My brother, some old friends-"

"You have a brother?!" Yvette exclaims, amazed at the fact that Handsome goddamn Jack has a brother. All these years, and she finds out now.

"I sure do, princess. Identical twin, actually-"

"You have a twin!?"

Jack chuckles, Rhys practically feeling the vibrations rumbling in Jack's chest.

It was strange how well Yvette and Jack were actually getting along... but Rhys wasn't exactly that shocked. Yvette is a feisty woman who goes after what she wants by all means necessary and is never afraid to speak her mind, mischievous and clever. Yesterday seems to be water under the bridge as she bonds with the man in front of her who had also held her at gunpoint two mornings ago.

So it’s strange, but, in a way, quite expected.

"Yeah, he's kinda the version of me that loves cats and reading. Dorkiest guy I’ve ever met, but he’s pretty attractive if you ask me. I think our next run is set for... tomorrow, if that's cool with you guys? Just kidding, it's definitely cool with you guys. I can make introductions then."

"I have a question," Vaughn announces, a bit too hurriedly, glancing between Rhys and Jack. "Um... why are you keeping us here in the first place? Why are you even being, uh... nice... to us?"

Jack freezes at the question before breaking out into a jovial laugh.

"Well, believe it or not, princess, Rhys here and I kinda already talked about that. This cyberware of his," Jack pauses to take Rhys' metal arm and lifts it up, "could benefit in us getting somewhere in the middle of this heap of shit. If we can try to get online, we might find some new communication or ways to advance in manufacturing and medicine and stuff. It's a long shot, but I guess I also have three new people on my running crew, and in exchange I give you bunch a place to stay, food, water, everything you want."

There's a moment of silence as Vaughn and Yvette take everything in. Meanwhile, Rhys implodes at the fact Jack's hand is still on his arm even after he put it down, unaware of what it feels like since he doesn't have nerves in his arm, but the proximity makes him squirm.

"Rhys, you just saved our asses from being dead on the street," Yvette laughs lightly, Jack joining her.

"So you're keeping us here... because of Rhys? Rhys' cybernetics?" Vaughn doesn't sound so sure of the situation.

"Was that not clear? Yes, kid, you're all staying here so we can benefit each other," Jack points back and forth between himself and Vaughn, stating his words slowly like he's explaining to a little kid. "You're getting something out of this too, y'know."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Vaughn shakes it off, thinking of something fast. "You know, we're really grateful for just.. all you're giving us. If you want you can... stay for dinner?"

_STUPID STUPID STUPID WHY DID YOU ASK THAT-_

"I'd love to! Actually, I can whip something up for you guys, my treat," Jack stands, making his way over to the kitchen, watching as Vaughn opens his mouth. "And don't try to stop me, because I really am an amazing ass five star cook. Just wait. Lemme go see what y'all have up in here.”

They watch as the powerful man goes down the hall and into the kitchen, unfit for the scene of the cozy and old-fashioned home, before Vaughn and Yvette explode at each other.

"There is no way on earth we can trust him-"

"You're just saying that, come on, he's actually kind of a nice guy-"

"You just think that because he's hot and he's being nice to _you-_ "

"He gave us food and water, Vaughn-"

"A day after he points guns at our faces and practically kidnaps us! Isn't that kinda messed up and suspicious-"

"Both of you shut up!" Rhys hisses, mouth contorted into a pout. "Vaughn is right, it's suspicious, but what else can we do? Where else will we get a house to live in and food and water and, god damn it, other living people that don't want to kill us just as much as the dead? Bro, I had a shower last night. Like an honest to god shower with a nozzle and warm water and _shampoo,_ bro. Even conditioner! This is luxury, bro. I- we deserve it."

"See? That's what I'm saying," Yvette turns to Vaughn, crossing her arms.

"...Fine, you're right. I just... I don't feel so sure..."

"We were dying out there, bro. This is the best for us," Rhys looks into Vaughn's gray eyes, full of sorrow but truth. "Oh, before I forget, Jack was telling me something on the way here. There's this of people called Bandits. Apparently they invade this place every once in awhile, going after Jack and Jack's people rather than all the supplies here. There's definitely a backstory behind all of it, but I didn't want him to choke me to death right when we get some hope."

"Hope? Rhys, after you tell me that, I have less hope than I've ever had ever," Vaughn sits there in disbelief.

Yvette leans back, voice quiet, "Are you serious? Wait, why-"

"Hey, Rhysie, what'cha like better, ravioli or spaghetti? Dunno why there's so much pasta in that pantry, geez, but..." Jack strides in, holding a box of cheese ravioli in one hand and a thin blue box of angel hair spaghetti in the other.

"Um... ravioli, I guess?" Rhys shrugs, looking over at Vaughn and Yvette who nod and agree.

"Alrighty, prepare for the best ravioli you bunch of bastards have ever eaten," Jack grins, making his way back to the kitchen.

There's a pause before Yvette explodes again, "'Rhysie'?! What the hell is going on between you two?!"

"What do you mean?" Rhys knows what she means.

"Rhys, you saw how close he was sitting next to you over there. He didn't take his hand off your arm until he got up, and the whole 'Rhysie' thing? That's just... weird," Vaughn glances to the kitchen, paranoid, before glancing back to Rhys.

"I... I don't know. I think that's just Jack's normal personality," Rhys shrugs.

"Has he tried anything?" Yvette asks, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.

"What?"

"Like... has he jumped you or anything? Like-"

"Ugh, no, Yvette. He has a daughter, for christ's sake-"

"He has a daughter?! Oh my god, first I learn he has a cute twin, and now he has a daughter? How old is she? What's she like? What's her name?" Yvette rapidly fires questions at him, eyes wide with curiosity and excitement.

"Well, her name is Angel. She's an absolute sweetheart, but she doesn't make friends very often. Jack doesn't let her outside the courthouse. I’m… not really sure why though..." Rhys says and recalls to that morning at breakfast when Angel told Rhys her birthday was coming up. "Oh, and she's nine. Her tenth birthday is in two weeks."

"That's so adorable. I can't believe he has a daughter," Yvette squeals, already dreaming of meeting her for the first time.

"Rhysie! Come here for a second!" Jack bellows sharply from the kitchen, all of them perking up at the thundering call.

Rhys shrugs yet again and stands up, boots clacking on the hardwood floor to the kitchen. He peeks his head around the corner to see Jack standing at the gas stove, stirring a small pot of sauce. Rhys opens his mouth to ask how he lit the stove, but he sees the box of matches on the counter next to him. 

"Come here, pumpkin," Jack nods over, smiling.

Rhys walks warily into the room, admiring the green walls and bronze hanging pots and pans, jumping up to sit on the oak wood counter.

"Yeah?"

Jack puts the lid back on the small boiling pot of sauce before turning to Rhys.

"Your friends aren't as quiet when they whisper than they think they are," Jack smirks, watching Rhys' blush bloom across his cheeks and neck, eyes averting his gaze. "You can trust me, you know. I look out for my team. Ask anyone."

"Yeah, we're just... getting used to all this," Rhys waves around generally and chuckles. "It's really cool you're doing this for us. My cybernetics, really, but us, too."

“I don’t bite, pumpkin,” Jack chuckles, crowding into Rhys until he was between his legs, Rhys still on the counter and breath taken away at what was happening. 

_“Unless you want me to.”_

Jack moves away after that, going to stir the ravioli casually as ever as Rhys sits there, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"Um... yeah. Thanks."

Jack looks at him before snickering to himself.

When dinner is served, the three are practically drooling over the wonderful smell of tomato sauce. They chow down their food, barely talking, Rhys sitting next to Jack on one side of the wooden, nicked to hell table as Yvette and Vaughn sat on the other side.

“Sir, this ravioli is the best thing I have ever eaten,” Vaughn slurps through the food in his mouth, ravioli and sauce garnished with cheese, garlic, and other spices Yvette didn’t even know.

“Please, just call me Jack, kid,” Jack chuckles. “And thank you. Being a single dad all these years forced me to learn how to actually cook, especially nowadays. Anyway, I know Rhys used to work for Hyperion, did the rest of y'all work for me before, too?" 

"Yup. I worked in requisitions and Vaughn here worked in accounting," Yvette nods to the man eating next to her.

"A numbers man? I guess I would've expected that," Jack looks down to take another bite as Vaughn looks up with a face of confusion. "I think you'll get along well with my brother. He's a little paranoid prince, just like you."

"Pfft, I'm not paranoid-"

"What's your brother's name?" Rhys speaks up this time instead of Yvette, wanting to steer the conversation differently and away from Vaughn, where he knew Vaughn would break down from all the stress and attention.

"Timothy. Timothy Lawrence. Just like me, but... not me at all. He's older by three minutes, but sometimes I think I'm the older brother," Jack laughs and takes another bite.

Rhys thinks about Fiona. He sighs and stabs his fork into another ravioli.

The rest of dinner is slightly more normal, as normal as it can be, Jack just explaining their shifts to them and what a guard, a runner, and a checker is. Guards switch off between the hours of the day at the wall stations, just watching out for bandits or herds coming. Runners, as Jack has already explained, go on supply runs every so often and look for new places. The checkers keep inventory and ration food and water every day, a simple job, but if you mess up, people can easily get pissed.

After dinner, Rhys finds a bottle of glittering red wine in one of the top cabinets where Vaughn couldn’t reach, pouting as he watches Rhys easily lean over him and grab the glass bottle.

After… too many drinks, the four are laughing hysterically on the living room floor, all problems forgotten, the dead, dull world around them suddenly a wavy pool of fuzzy warmness in their heads and tummies. Rhys is the first one to get absolutely exhausted, falling over onto Jack’s shoulder and letting his eyes flutter shut. Jack’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but he and Rhys think the same thing, too loopy to do anything about it.

_Warm._

So neither of them let go.

The moon rises, Yvette and Vaughn shaking Rhys awake. After adjusting themselves and focusing, Rhys and Jack wave goodbye to Vaughn and Yvette, vanilla candles and lamps lit all in the living room. Rhys is about to stumble out behind Jack before Vaughn grasps his arm. Rhys turns to look at him, eyesight swirling and eyelids drooping.

"Be careful, bro."

Rhys looks at him, the small flames of candles reflecting off stormy eyes, Rhys’ innards spiraling with hazy glow.

"I will, bro."

They say their last drunk goodbyes before Rhys catches up with Jack, the town dark and quiet and chill, moonlight guiding them and crickets singing their choruses in the blades of grass. Rhys has to keep his hold on Jack, giggling for no reason as they walk back to the courthouse, streets lonely and still.

"They're nice."

Rhys looks at Jack, staring up to connect the stars, holding his alcohol better than Rhys ever will. Rhys looks down to look at the weeds growing through the cracks in the sidewalk, trying to focus on his feet. Yvette and Vaughn have been with him through everything, before and after the apocalypse. When Stacy broke up with him, they were there to give him his favorite mint chocolate ice cream and watch all the Disney movies he wanted with him. When he lost his sisters, they were there to hold his hand and let him cry to them about it, willingly letting him forget the moment an hour later, but he never really did forget that special moment.

He wonders if Jack has ever had anyone like that for him.

"Yeah. They're pretty nice."

Neither of them remember what happens after that, blinded by foggy, pleasant minds and intoxicated titters.

But when Rhys wakes up next to Jack in his bed, in Jack’s room, he sits up faster than he can think, heart racing, loud and fast enough he worried Jack would wake up to it. He checks his pants, still on, and he lets out a breath of relief. He runs his hands through his matted hair, glancing nervously and wrecked at the sleeping, shirtless man next to him. 

He takes a moment to study him, focusing on how relaxed his muscles seem under tan, rough skin, face smooth and peaceful before grabbing his shirt on the floor and running out of the room as fast as he can, head hurting and frustrated at how little he remembers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys goes on a supply run.
> 
> Jack has troubles with his feelings, as per usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor secretive "but i'm the good guy here!!" jack is confused abt his feelings with rhys, making him all paranoid and angry (;﹏;) kind of another filler chapter, but i swear the next one is when i actually get to plot. i just wanted a chapter to kinda focus on jack's feelings and shtuff  
> oh, and thank you to everyone who even reads this or gives kudos or comments or bookmarks it. you have no idea how every single one of those numbers makes me feel, even if it's not a lot. it's a good feeling when people appreciate something you make and i am so grateful for everyone ʚ♡⃛ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁)

A faint moan echoes out in a parking lot, vacant except for a few helpless and deserted cars, covered in grime and bloody handprints.

In a single moment, six guns are cocked and aimed around, the air still, the only noise the dragging of slow feet and low groans of a slothful corpse creeping through the eerie lot.

"I got it."

A plum haired woman pockets her pistol in replacement of a crimson red, sleek and razor sharp knife. She crouches her way over to the corpse, impatient as it lurks doltishly. It sees her and growls louder, clawing and grasping onto her with its single right hand, the other one missing to just a stump of muscle and bone. She pins it harshly and plummets the lustrous knife into its head, silencing it instantly. She pulls it out with a huff, letting the body fall to the asphalt, staining it dark red as blood pools from its brain. Its eyes are typically clouded, half of its face peeled to the frail bone and skin like the paper thin covering of a very old and decomposing brown, squishy apple. 

Rhys adjusts his backpack and watches. He wasn't sure what to think of Athena just yet. She doesn't talk much, but she seems to be an excellent listener and perceiver. She's definitely skilled, but she's not easy to get to know, her emotional shields strong and mysterious. Jack and her seem to be close, but... in a strange way. Like they look out for each other, but neither of them want to admit it. They’ve clearly been with each other for a very long time.

"How long have you've been using that knife for, 'Thena?" Jack nods over to her as she walks back with the group, wiping the remaining blood on the blade off with her gloved thumb and index finger before switching out with her pistol again.

"Since... my birthday, 10 months ago. Why do you ask?" she looks over at him with narrow, piercing icey eyes.

"Just never seen you use a knife that wasn't that one," Jack shrugs, holding his shotgun prepared, clunky boots echoing in the wasteland. “I’m not judging you, pumpkin, just curious.”

"Janey got it for her," Timothy adds in, leaning forward a bit from where he walked behind the two, clutching a rifle with one ungloved hand and one gloved one. Rhys thought about asking him about it, but ended up deciding against it. “It was adorable.”

"Ah, that's why..." Jack smirks, glancing back to Athena where she was now glaring daggers at Timothy, who shrank into himself a bit and blushed.

It was almost uncanny how identical Jack and Tim looked. The only obvious difference he could see physically between the two men was Jack's face scar compared to Tim's surplus of peppered freckles sweeping across his cheeks. Jack also stood broader and had more confidence in the way he strode around, head high and proud, voice clear and booming for all to hear. Tim walked with his shoulders more slouched and less pride in himself, voice the same as Jack's, but much more nasally and... uncertain of pretty much everything. Rhys also noticed Tim's hair had more of a reddish tint and his eyes were more green than blue rather than a positive mix of the two, but he thought he was just being stalkerish at that point noticing details like that.

"Who's Janey?" Yvette joins in from where she stands behind Rhys.

"Janey is Athena's girlfriend. She's a mechanic back at Opportunity, AND she's Australian, can you believe that?" Timothy snorts.

Two more things to add to the list of how Tim and Jack were different: Tim snorts basically every time he laughs (Jack only does when he laughs super hard) and Tim's smile tilts to the left, where Jack's smile tilts to the right.

"She's Australian? How'd she end up here then?" Rhys asks, turning from Tim to look at Athena.

Jack answers for him, "They were dating before the end of the world happened, too. Janey moved here from Australia a year or two before shit went down and they ended up hitting it off in a coffee shop. Cute, right?"

"Don't go telling _my_ girlfriend's life story, asshole. But, yes, we are disgustingly cute," Athena jabs Jack's side, earning a hearty laugh from the man. Rhys thinks he barely saw a crooked smile on Athena, but she must’ve dropped it quickly.

It's been about a week since Rhys first arrived in Opportunity and met the rest of Jack's crew, as well as... the incident. 

Rhys worried all that morning that Jack would say something about it, kick him out or yell at him, maybe even kill him, but bless the lords, he seemed to have not remembered under all that alcohol. Rhys was stiff that entire morning at breakfast, stuttering and blushing around the older man all morning and having a mental breakdown when Angel skipped into the room, oblivious and cheery as ever.

Speaking of, Rhys has been getting closer with Angel and the rest of the folks in town. He plays with Angel occasionally and picks flowers for her from outside the courthouse. He braids her hair with delicate, nimble hands, not ignoring the way Jack looks at him with furrowed eyebrows as he stuck little white baby’s-breath in her hair. He wasn't mad though. He looked... concentrated, or like he was thinking too hard. Rhys asked about it once, but Jack waved it off and hid in his room for the rest of the night.

He met up with Nisha and Wilhelm, too, shoving all past grudges aside, and had a few drinks with them at a place called Moxxi's. Presumably, the bartender was a dolly but shrewd woman by the name of Moxxi. That's where he also met Timothy. He was alarmed at first, puzzled when he saw the man he thought was Jack walk in, realizing immediately the moment he tripped on his way over that there was no way in the world that was Jack Lawrence. They hit it off that night between the four of them, Timothy's entire face reddening whenever Moxxi walked by and Nisha and Wilhelm teasing him about it. They had only a little bit in common, Rhys noticing maybe Tim really would get along with Vaughn much better if he didn't have the face of the infamous, terrifying Handsome Jack, but they ended up bonding over their mutual dorky interests as they reminisced over the old world. It’s no doubt he’s definitely nothing like his younger brother, but Rhys likes him for his emotional and caring morals, something you don’t see much anymore.

However, he only met Athena... just this morning. He thought the supply run would just be the five, including Vaughn and Yvette, but Jack insisted she must come with.

So here they are, exploring an abandoned and rundown motel, unlit neon sign declaring it the ‘Sunnyside Motel’, alongside a picture of a little sun with sunglasses.

"There's three rooms left here that we haven't cleared. That's why I wanted six of us- two for each room," Jack turns around to look at his group, walking backwards as he spoke. "The girls will scavenge the place on the left, Tim Tam and Vaughn get that one, and Rhysie and I'll see what we can cop from over here. We meet back up here, by the corpse Athena just mutilated. Got it, kiddos?"

Everyone nods and hums in agreement, besides Athena who just stomps ahead, Yvette flitting after her, and Tim and Vaughn exchange equally awkward 'hey's before making their way to their motel room.

"Why'd you put us together? You were already standing next to Athena and I was next to Timothy," Rhys questions Jack as he walks step in step with him. “He’s a sweetheart, by the way.”

"He sure is, princess. Growing up he was always the one who needed saving,” Jack smiles sadly. “Anyway, I wanted to see how the other guys hit it off working together. Plus, I need to talk to you."

Rhys' blood turns cold, stomach dropping and shivers going down his arms.

_Does he remember the night they got drunk?_

_What if Jack is pissed and brought him out here alone just to kill him?_

"Um... about what... exactly?"

Jack bangs on the locked door of the room they were raiding, calling, if any, corpses on the inside to come out.

"It's been about a week since I first dropped your ass off at my house. I say it's time to start working on those cybernetics, pumpkin," the older man checks for any corpses before stepping back. "You wanna do the honors?"

Rhys glances at him blankly for a moment before preparing himself in front of the dusty room window, covered by a tacky curtain, grounding his long legs and smashing the window with the butt of his rifle. One, two, three hits, and the glass shatters rhythmically.

"How do you plan on hooking up my cybernetics anyway? In order for me to get an internet connection, I kinda need... the internet..."

They pause a moment to clear through the room, staying quiet and checking for corpses, both of them focused and looking out for any signs of movement. It’s clearly been ages since anyone’s been in here. Everything is cold and covered in a layer of grime, bugs littering the place and cobwebs hiding in every dark ceiling corner.

Rhys inspects the bathroom before turning around, only to immediately bump into something harshly, letting out a meek, high yelp. He steps back, losing his footing before he grasps blindly, something warm and strong wrapping around his waist to keep him from falling.

"Sorry, pumpkin, didn't quite see you there," Jack chuckles, looking down at Rhys' brown and mechanical blue eyes, the blue one whirring as Rhys fumbles with what to say. 

"I- yeah, no, it's fine. I-I wasn't really paying attention," Rhys laughs nervously, hyper aware that his arms were still latched around his shoulders and neck as Jack's secure, muscular ones were still latched around his waist.

They stay there a moment before Jack is the first one to let up, arms pulling away and Rhys still laughing nervously as he picks himself up. He notices Jack is admiring his echo eye, pupil spinning as it focuses on the handsome man in front of him. 

"That pretty thing still work?"

Rhys fumbles, "Um, yeah, but I can't get any information because, you know, no internet and stuff."

"I figured..." Jack sighs, collecting himself before rummaging through dresser drawers, looking for any supplies. "We'll need a router and a universal modem for that, connect to satellites and stuff... On top of that, we need a generator. Can't have internet without any electricity."

"That might be tough… but we can try…” Rhys frowns. “Hey, I, uh, wanted to ask you about those bandit people. How do you… how do you know their leader?”

Jack’s face turns grim, “Oh, it’s a long… long story. Her people call her the Firehawk, but I know her as Lilith. She… she was the one that started this shit storm.”

“What?”

“Yeah… we… got in a bit of a fight a few years before it all happened… Not gonna go into detail, but… it was bad. Her... her boyfriend came after my Angel, trying to take her away from me... said I wasn't the right father for her," Jack's fists clench. "No use in hiding these things now... so I killed him. Son of a bitch thought he could lay his hands on _my_ little girl... That was before I became the big guy. She assaulted me, ended up throwing her own ass in jail, wasn’t even guilty about what she’d done to me… and I never got caught. A few years later, she came back, raided my R &D unit for revenge… killed all my scientists, fucked around and accidentally ended up creating the disease or whatever that makes the world the way it is now trying to get back at me. She rounded up a ton of absolute psychos and branded them with these symbols like they’re cattle. ‘A sign of loyalty’ or whatever… still trying to come after me, even after the world already friggin' ended.”

Rhys stares at him in disbelief. He tries to picture Handsome Jack in that situation, blood all over his hands above the guy who tried to take his daughter.

“You’re serious?”

“As serious as a heart attack, pumpkin.”

Rhys blinks.

“Geez…”

“Geez is right, kid.”

“...Why did... that guy come for her? Was Angel okay? Where was she during all this? Timothy? Your wife?”

Jack freezes, “What?”

_Oh no._

_He fucked up._

“Oh, um, nothing-”

“Nonono, you brought it up, can’t step back over the line now. Got something you wanna say, Rhysie? Huh? Why do you even care? You a damn undercover bandit working for that psycho bitch and her dead boyfriend, trying to wring me of my secrets, pumpkin?” 

“What- Jack, no, you're jumping to conclusions-”

"You realize I’m keeping your ass alive right now? I’m giving you food and water and a place to stay _inside my own community?!_ You know I can still kill you, right here, right now, including your little friends," Jack raises his voice, crowding closer to the younger man, backing his way against the wall. 

“Jack, you got this all wrong, I didn’t mean-”

"You know what? I don't- I just don't get it! Angel loves you! What's so special about you, huh, princess?! What makes your bandit ass so special I even let you around my daughter? What makes you special enough I let you fool around with me for god knows why when we're drunk and I don't just cut your guts out right afterwards?!"

There's a pause, Rhys' eyes widening and his heart dropping and legs going numb.

"I- Listen, Jack, I’m not a bandit. I didn’t mean to upset you, it was all a mistake-”

"Upset me? _Mistake?_ You little-"

Jack wrestles Rhys to the wall, throwing his head harshly against it, Rhys fighting uselessly back as Jack checks his neck and arms for the symbol, Rhys squirming and yelling before he sees something move behind Jack’s neck.

" _JACK-_ ”

The corpse pushes on Jack, Rhys sliding out from underneath him as it grasps at the older man. The corpse pins Jack to the wall, Jack reacting fast and spinning to keep it off him, but not fast enough. He grunts trying to pull it off him with little success.

The corpse nips at his face, growling brutally and desperately, Jack turning his face away and closing his eyes, trying to pull away and pull away and pull away…

He slips and his arm slides, ducking his head to avoid the snapping canines of the corpse. Jack breaths and heaves, arms tensed, vision red and blurred, groaning and delusional...

And then there's a deafening gunshot. The corpse falls like a ragdoll onto Jack, blood staining his white shirt and hands and face. He slugs the heavy corpse off with a grunt, wiping his face of sweat before heaving over and catching his breath with his hands on his knees.

Rhys stands with his rifle still in the air, arms and legs tired, ears still ringing as Jack inhales and exhales heavily, long bangs falling in his face.

"Jack-"

"Leave me alone-"

"Jack, for the love of god, listen to me! I am not a bandit! I didn’t even know who Lilith was until just now! I-I messed up… asking you something that… I know would make you uncomfortable… I get it, I just I- I messed up. I get it, you don’t _trust_ me yet… You’re just… so confusing. You’re friends with me one second, you hate me the next… I know you’re paranoid about Angel, but I’m not one of those bandits, Jack. I would never, ever think about hurting a hair on her head. Jack, please, trust me. I’m sorry, it was an accident. A-and whatever happened between us when we… got drunk… it was all just… that was a mistake, too. I’m-I'm sorry.”

There's a long moment of silence, Rhys watching Jack's hunched back before he gets up, rummaging the rest of his way through drawers and desks, silently fuming. Rhys stands still.

"Jack-"

"Get your shit and _let's go._ There's nothing in here."

Jack zips up his bag, waiting for Rhys to get his bag before they leave the room, awkward and silent, Rhys looking at Jack brokenly.

“Jack-”

“ _Shut up._ ”

Rhys looks away.

They all meet up again, Vaughn and Tim ending up hitting it off well, just like Jack had said, and they bonded over old books and movies, currently discussing 80's classics. 

("Ferris Bueller is an American classic, how can you beat such a feel good, happy little comedy movie like that? Ferris and Cameron are iconic figures and amazingly developed characters!" Tim grins as gestures in the air.

"Yes, but Back to the Future is an American classic _and_ a thrilling fantasy/science fiction film! Ferris is just a drama/teen film, which is cool if you like that, but I'm gonna judge you about it..." Vaughn smirks as he watches Timothy open his mouth again.)

Yvette and Athena seemed to bond over their life stories, which Rhys kind of expected from Yvette. She has that kind of energy and outgoing aura to make anyone open up to her.

Jack and Rhys trail behind the chattering four of them, Jack clenching and unclenching his fists, blue veins popping out, staring away from Rhys. The atmosphere was tense, Rhys swallowing hard before opening his mouth.

"Jack, we need to talk about this-"

"About what?" Jack growls, refusing to look at Rhys.

"I don’t know! I don’t know why you just can’t trust me! I’m a good guy, Jack, I’m not a bandit and I’m not here to get your secrets or your daughter or anything! I want to work with you, Jack. I know you don’t know what to feel or do, but don’t take it out on me. I-I want to try to make this work. We live together, for christ’s sake-”

“You can go live with your little friends if you want to get away from me so bad.”

"Jack, I want to stay with you.”

Jack looks over at Rhys finally, eyes curious and glossy.

"What?"

"I-I wanna stay with you, Jack. You and Angel," Rhys admits. "It's-it's early, but she's special to you, Jack. I see that, and-and I know you're... wary about people being around her, but I'm not sick like that. I'm not here to mess with you or her. Please, trust me, Jack. We can start all over again."

Jack stops for a moment in the middle of the road, Rhys putting down his foot to turn to him.

Jack looks down and up again. The breeze blows through his hair, birds chittering and swishing leaves singing. The sun is warm and quiet.

They connect eyes for a moment, Rhys muttering one more ‘please’.

"...For Angel."

Rhys knows Jack has trust issues. He was always man that kept to himself, never letting the paparazzi touch his personal life, his family, or his feelings, and if they did, there was consequences. He was a mysterious, stubborn man, but everything he did, no matter what, was for Angel, the most important thing in the world to him.

It wasn't a definite yes, but he knew that was the closest he would ever get to Handsome Jack's trust.

Rhys smiles, "For Angel."

They make their way home, discussing with the rest of the group the supplies they had grabbed. It wasn't much, but each little step counts in the big mess they lived in.

Jack looks over to Rhys, who's chatting up with Vaughn and Yvette, smiling and laughing at a joke Yvette makes.

"What’s on your mind?" Athena leans over to him, watching Jack's eyes calm as he eyes the tall, younger man.

Jack pauses. He bites his lip and wonders to himself.

"...He saved my life back in that motel. He said he wanted to actually stay with me, even after I accused him of being a bandit, after I threatened to kill him... He asked me if I could trust him…”

"And?"

Jack stays quiet. Athena turns to him, piercing eyes narrowing, yet motherly and comforting.

"I didn't trust Janey at first, either. I thought letting someone close to me would only make me weaker... but don't push your feelings down, Jack. He's good for you. Don't push him away. Let him into your life. He's a good kid.”

Jack looks to the shorter woman walking step in step with him, catching her blue eyes and noticing the sparkling in them.

"I know."

That night, Jack watched Rhys color with Angel on the living room floor, braiding her hair after her shower, and telling her about his own childhood. Jack listened intently, genuinely interested, pretending to read a book on the couch as they sat on the rug.

"Well, uh… when I just turned ten, I met my sisters for the first time, Sasha and Fiona. My mom was dating their dad. Anyway, I wasn't really what to think of them at first. They were strangers and I didn't know anything about them. I wasn’t sure if I could really trust them. Sasha barged into my room and looked at all my stuff, and back then I was really dorky. I had all these card games and action figures, but most of all, I had my own business cards," Rhys chuckles, fingering Angel's damp raven hair. "Sasha picked one up off my desk and asked me why I had a business when I was ten. I really didn't, it was just a pretend business I made up. Fiona walks in, comes over to my fishbowl and you know what the first thing she says is? 'What kind of stupid person names their fish Water?'"

Angel giggles at that, Rhys pulling forward to avoid tugging her hair.

"You named your fish Water?!"

"I sure did. Hey, I was seven when I got that fish, give me a break. You probably did stupid stuff when you were seven," Rhys smiles at the cackling girl in front of him. "But even though their first words to me weren't the nicest or the most polite, I knew from that moment that I may not always like them, but deep down I do, and that they were my real sisters. Love comes in many ways, shapes, and forms, Angel. It comes when you least expect it."

Jack looks up from his book and gets off the couch with a groan to grab a glass of wine from the kitchen.

He sits alone in the dining room, hand on his chin as he thinks to earlier that day to what Athena said.

He looks over to see Rhys chatting with Angel, Rhys looking over himself to catch Jack’s eye, smiling nervously and giving a small wave.

He smiles slightly and waves back with the hand without the sparkling red wine in it.

He wasn’t ready to give in all the way, but the fact that Rhys hasn’t ran off absolutely terrified like… she had… it made Jack wonder… 

“...Angel, what do you think about Rhys?” Jack whispers as he tucks her in bed.

“I love him! He’s so nice and fun and he braids my hair really cute! I like when he puts the little white flowers in it, it makes me feel like a fairy-”

Jack chuckles, “So you like him?”

Angel nods profusely, grinning ear to ear.

“He’s my best friend.”

Jack lies on the sofa on the second floor lobby, silently smoking a cigarette. He only smoked when he was stressed and thinking, and god, was he making up for all the days since he met Rhys. Speak of the devil...

“Hey, I’m going to bed,” Rhys walks by, hair wet from the shower with a baggy t-shirt and sweats on, before pausing. “Um… thank you for trusting me, Jack. Or enough to, y’know, not kill me or anything.”

Jack smirks at that, inhaling his cigarette a bit before exhaling, letting the smoke relax his lungs.

“No problem, kiddo. I, uh, I’m not the best with this whole… emotions or communication thing… It’s been… a really long time…”

Rhys smiles, “I get it, Jack. It’s okay. We started over, remember?

He stares at Rhys for a moment, not letting the skip in his heartbeat go unnoticed as he looks at the way Rhys’ hair curls when it’s damp, the little blue of tattoo peeking out from under his shirt, how warm his eyes are, and the colorful striped socks he loves to show off, defending them whenever Jack teases him about it. 

“...Yeah.”

Rhys smiles, “Goodnight, Jack.”

“Sweet dreams, pumpkin.”

He watches Rhys close his door to his room, eyes lingering on the golden handle in the dim gaslight.

_Maybe he could give this thing a shot._

_Maybe._

**Author's Note:**

> a kudos, bookmark, or comment is greatly appreciated ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡  
> say hi on tumblr!! - bippingsauce.tumblr.com


End file.
